A Girl, An Elf and A Workshop
by JediMasterTabster
Summary: Tabs, an 18 year old who still believes in Christmas, finds herself in a situation she could only dream of. While she knows that the world in which she's landed in isn't real, can she withstand the call of her heart? Bernard/OC
1. Blizzards and Christmas Wishes

The Santa Clause Fanfic: An Elf, a Girl, and a Workshop

Author's Note: Some of you may recognize this story, slightly retitled, from several years ago. I pulled it down last year because not only had I lost the desire to complete it, but the writing was just getting so horrible. I became so caught up in trying to get my friends involved that I lost the spirit of the story.

Now, with several more years of maturity under my belt, I feel it is time to start again. I only hope the heart of the story that I began with can once again grow within it.

I hope you enjoy the story, if anyone does read it, and that it can cause the same laughter and joy the original did.

WARNING: This is a self-insert fic, spawned from some humourous ideas I had in high school. If you're not a fan of self-inserts, and don't have an open mind about them… don't read it. It's that simple.

MERRY CHRISTMASSSSS!!!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Santa Clause or anything affiliated with it. I only own myself.

Chapter One: Blizzards and Christmas Wishes

The snow fell heavily outside the windows at High Dale Secondary School, creating a white curtain across the land. On the third floor, in a classroom at the end of the hall, was a grade eleven English class. Each of the 23 students appeared to be incredibly bored, and the teacher was doing nothing to help their boredom. In fact, the teacher seemed equally as bored as her students. It was the day before the Christmas holidays, which meant that school was finished as of lunchtime. The problem, was that this year, the school board had decided to try and cram all four classes into the time slot of two periods, making none of the classes long enough to actually teach anything.

Near the back of the classroom, a blonde-haired, blue eyed girl, wearing a bright red sweater and flared blue jeans kept tapping her pen to a beat only she could hear in her head. Every now and then she would glance at the clock, sigh in disdain, and go back to tapping her pen.

Still another ten minutes to go. It always seemed as if the last ten minutes of class before school let out for the holidays dragged on forever.

Tap tap… tap tap… Another glance out the window and the snow was swirling and rushing past, creating a white fog outside. Walking downtown to the mall was going to take forever.

After what seemed like another several hours, the bell finally rang. In an instant the whole class had leapt from their seats and bolted for the door, trying to squeeze through it in one giant cluster.

The teacher was shouting something about remembering a holiday assignment, but of course no one was listening. Everyone just wanted to get out of the room.

Once out in the hallway, the blonde haired girl moved as quickly as she could through the crowd of people, towards her locker by the main stairwell.

"Hey Tabs! Are you going to the talent show?" a brown-haired girl called out, pushing through to the locker beside the blonde.

Tabs smiled and shook her head. "Nah… I've got some Christmas shopping to finish up. Wanna get to the mall before the crowds hit."

The brown haired girl pouted. "But then I'll have no-one to go with!"

"Don't be silly, Sam…you've got all of our other friends going!" Tabs replied with an eye roll.

"Yes," Sam agreed, "However, none of our friends understand the true art of sarcasm, nor do they enjoy mocking the acts in the same way that you do."

Tabs snorted. "Not true, Maddy likes to do that to."

Sam stared at her, a deadpan expression. "Ha ha. You know as well as I do that Maddy couldn't be funny if her life depended on it. Just pllleeeeaaasssseeee come!" She begged her friend, tugging on Tabs' sleeve.

"Sorry, Sam. But trust me, you'll have fun."

She shoved her books in her locker, and pulled out her coat. "Merry Christmas, Sam." After giving her friend a quick hug, she zipped up the coat, pulled out her other winter gear, and locked the locker.

Flashing one final grin at her dejected looking friend, Tabs took off into the stairwell and out the door.

Outside, the snow was falling heavily, adding to the already knee-deep piles on the ground.

Tabs giggled, and began spinning around and jumping, ignoring the estranged looks from the kids smoking out front of the school. Christmas had always been her favourite time of year, and the snow just added to it. Although the walk in the snow wasn't looking too appealing, Tabs decided instead to focus on only the positives. It was less than a week until Christmas, and after she finished her shopping, she would be spending the evening in fuzzy pajama's and slippers, in front of the fireplace, watching her favourite Christmas movies.

With a bounce and a skip, she began her journey downtown.

"Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock!" she sang as she trudged through the snow banks, and down the side of the road through the industrial district. She paused when she reached the railroad tracks and contemplated, whether the hike downtown would be faster by taking the abandoned tracks, or sticking to the road.

Continuing to hum, she glanced around, and then decided to go through the tracks.

She trudged on, singing Christmas songs, and daydreaming about anything she could think of, not paying attention to her surroundings.

It wasn't until her third round of 'Rudolph' that she paused, and realized that she could not tell where she was at all. Everything was white, snow was swirling, and the railroad tracks had disappeared beneath the snow.

In fact, as far as Tabs could tell, there was absolutely nothing around her but snow, which was of course, completely illogical.

"HELLO?!" She called. "ANYONE AROUND?"

The temperature seemed to be dropping rather quickly, and though it was only mid-afternoon, it was getting dark quickly.

Tabs had no idea where she was, and wasn't exactly sure what to do. She knew that wandering around could be dangerous, but at the same time, if she stayed exactly where she was, she would freeze to death.

She shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"If only life were like the movies… the elves from Santa Claus: The Movie, would come out and find me here, and show me their wonderful world," she sighed wistfully.

As it got dark around her, she decided to do the brave thing and start trudging forward. The cold was starting to seep through her clothes, and she swore her feet were going numb. Her body began to shake and breathing was becoming harder and harder. Then, as she tripped and stumbled, her face hit the snow, and everything went black.


	2. I Must Be Dreaming

A/N: Tonight I went to my town's Christmas in the Park, which is basically a small park filled with lights and different displays put on by different businesses. It was honestly like walking into a winter wonderland. The magic of Christmas has somewhat been dying out for me this past week or two, but that park was enough to completely renew it. It was so… magical there. Took a lot of great pictures, and just kinda danced around on my own. Even posed with Spiderman before heading home

Anyways… thanks for the reviews and feedback so far! Hope you all continue to like it!!

Disclaimer – Read it on the first chapter.. it's the same the whole way through!

Chapter Two – I Must Be Dreaming

As Tabs slowly began to regain consciousness, the first thing she became aware of was the faint sound of Christmas music in the background. The next, was two male voices, talking hushed above her.

"She's waking up," the one voice said, sounding oddly familiar.

Tabs groaned, and opened her eyes, sitting up slowly as her fuzzy vision cleared. Her head felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

She blinked her eyes closed tightly.

"Are you okay?" the familiar voice asked her.

"I think so," she muttered, then opened her eyes again.

As her gaze landed on the man with the familiar voice, she began immediately to doubt her own sanity. Curly, black hair, a green beret, and pointy ears. She blinked again, mouth dropping open in surprise. There, in front of her, was Bernard from The Santa Clause.

"Yes, I am an elf," Bernard said slowly, glancing over at the other male in the room. Apparently, he thought she was merely in shock about an elf.

She glanced over at the other male, who turned out to be none other than the red-haired Dr. Hismus. She looked back at Bernard, who was watching her cautiously, waiting for a reaction.

"Duhh," was all she could manage to say. She pinched herself in the arm to make sure this wasn't a dream. The pain was real… and she didn't wake up. So that possibility was out of the question.

The next possibility that crossed her mind terrified her to no end. It was the only semi-logical solution she could think of. She had somehow managed to become trapped in the body of a Mary-Sue.

She waited a moment for some strange force to make her start screaming and going ga-ga over Bernard. Not that she didn't find him highly attractive, but that kind of childish behaviour had been long past her.

When the screaming didn't come, she glanced down at her body, half-expecting to see it now some perfectly shaped, skinny little princess.

Nope. It was still her slightly plump, disproportioned figure. She reached up and touched her hair… shuddering at how messy it felt. Whatever had happened to her, probably left her looking like she had been hit in the face with a train… twice.

So if it wasn't a dream, and she hadn't been transported into some scary Fanfic trapped in a Mary-Sue, there was only one explanation… She was actually there.

Clearing her throat, she looked once again at Bernard, who was staring at her as if she might be some sort of a mental case.

"Yes, I am _quite_ aware you are an elf," she said, trying not to let the excitement she could feel burst through in her voice. She was afterall, an adult now. "I was more shocked at the fact that you were Bernard."

Now it was Bernard's turn to look confused. He glanced over at Dr. Hismus, who looked concerned.

_Of course they look concerned_, she told herself, _my knowing this would be putting the S.O.S. in trouble._

"How exactly do you know that?" Bernard asked.

"It's a long story," Tabs replied, trying to brush the knots out of her hair with her fingers. Doing things like that helped her to keep up a calm appearance, even though inside she was anything but calm.

She shivered, realizing that she was still actually quite cold.

Bernard sighed. "Alright, that you can explain after we get you warmed up." He motioned to Dr. Hismus, who passed him a small, brown blanket, then wrapped it over Tabs shoulders. "On our way to get you warm, you can explain to me how you managed to get to Elfsburg… given that it's completely unlocatable by humans."

Tabs hopped off the table, a little disappointed to discover that Bernard, an Elf, was actually slightly taller than her. She wasn't a fan of being reminded of her shortness.

Bernard, however, seemed unfazed by the fact that a human was shorter than him. She wondered if he was even aware that she wasn't a child. She chided herself for that thought immediately after, reminding herself that Bernard was an elf, not an idiot.

"Uhm.. that kind of fits into the long story," she replied sheepishly.

Bernard rolled his eyes. "Of course it does." He nodded thanks to the doctor, then walked out of the tiny hospital room, with Tabs following close behind.

As they stepped out the door, Tabs couldn't help but stop and marvel at the world that was meeting her eyes. The movies had made Santa's workshop look amazing, but even their sets failed in comparison to the real thing. She had never seen colours so bright, nor smelt air so fresh; especially indoors.

"Wooowwwwwwww," she gushed, clasping her hands together and holding them over her chest.

Elves hustled and bustled in every which direction, loading wrapped presents onto trolleys, and taking unwrapped presents out the door, probably towards Wrapping. There were toys everywhere, and all the elves had smiles on their young looking faces.

"I don't mean to be rude," Bernard interrupted Tabs' gaze of amazement, "But it is Christmas Eve, and I'm a little short on time."

"Sorry," Tabs flushed, looking at the ground. She walked over to Bernard, and walked beside him, out of the main room in the factory, and into a big hall lined with doorways.

The hallway looked like it belonged in a kids ultimate playground; its walls and pillars brilliant golds and reds.

They took a left at the end of the hallway, and passed by the giant Ballroom. Tabs eyed it with curiousity as she passed by. She had always wanted to go in there.

When they reached the door labeled 'Kitchen' Bernard turned, and opened the door, holding it open for Tabs. She thanked him, a little surprised that Elves had that kind of chivalry in them. Unless it was just Bernard. Either way, she wasn't used to any male holding doors open for her.

The kitchen was fairly empty; most of the goodies had already been baked, and the kitchen was cleaned spotless.

Bernard cleared his throat, and the few elves that remained looked at him, nodded, and scattered from the room.

It was a BIG room, and Tabs suddenly felt very… nervous at being alone with him in it. It wasn't that he was scary or anything, after all, he was Bernard. It was more that she didn't actually KNOW Bernard, save for what the movies showed of him. What if he was secretly a serial killer? Or a sorcerer?

She shook the thoughts from her head, and allowed Bernard to show her to the table. She took a seat, and waited silently as he walked over to the Cappucino machine, and made her a drink, then himself one.

He sat the steaming mug down in front of her, then took a seat across from her. Ignoring his impatient stare, Tabs thrust her cold hands around the mug, smiling in contentment as the heat from it warmed her fingers.

"So… the long story?" Bernard urged.

Tabs nodded, and contemplated for a moment how she would explain something she wasn't entirely sure of. Then, taking a deep breath, she dove into her tale.

Bernard said nothing through the whole story, and as she finished, he simply stared, expressionless.

"You expect me to believe that you're from an Alternate Universe, where I'm a character in a movie, and you just kind of appeared here?"

Tabs nodded slowly. "Not really much else I can tell you. Like I said, I only know what I know."

Bernard snorted. "You really think us elves are idiots, don't you? I'm not dumb enough to believe a tale like that."

Tabs' eyes widened and she looked at the head elf completely dumbfounded. "I'm telling the truth!" she defended.

"Yeah, right."

"I'll prove it to you!" Tabs wasn't entirely sure if what she had would count as proof, but she was going to give it a shot anyway.

"Oh yeah? How?" Bernard asked.

"The current Santa Clause… is a man named Scott Calvin, right?"

Bernard stared at her blankly. "Who?"

"Scott Calvin… you know, has a son named Charlie… became Santa when the Santa before him fell off his roof… or are we onto the next Santa already?"

Bernard continued to stare at her blankly. "There has never been a Scott Calvin as Santa. I don't even know a Scott Calvin. Our current Santa has been in the position for the last two hundred years."

Now it was Tabs' turn to stare blankly. "Say what now?"

"There. Is. No. Scott. Calvin."

Tabs blinked. This couldn't be. Even if there was an alternate universe, it couldn't be that Scott Calvin had never existed as Santa Claus, could it? Unless…

"What year is it?"

Another eye roll. "What, now you have amnesia?"

"No." Apparently, Bernard was a little bit more mouthy in person than in the movie.

"I just need you to tell me what year it is," she said slowly. It was the only plausible option she could think of.

"1994," Bernard replied, staring at her as if she had a third head.

So that explained it. This was the very Christmas Eve that Scott would become Santa… which meant, she wasn't just in the Alternate universe… she was now in the timeline of the movie.

"Great…. This could totally screw everything up," she muttered.

Bernard raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Alright, I have your proof for you." She ignored his question about her mutterings. That would be explained soon enough anyway. "I'm 18 years old, on my victory lap of high school… and where I'm from. It's the year 2004."

"Are you sure you don't belong in a nut-house?" he inquired.

Tabs glared at him. "If you don't believe me, check my wallet. It was in my coat pocket, which I'm assuming you have somewhere." He nodded, confirming they had the coat. "Pull out my driver's license. It's an Ontario license, and it was issues in 2002. My birth date will also be on it… and it will say I was born in 1986. Now, if that's my birth date, and I'm 18, you do the math."

They glared at each other in silence a moment, before the clock struck 11, interrupting their staring contest.

Bernard grunted. "I have to go. I will send Judy to take you to a temporary room. When Santa gets back, we're all going to sit down and sort this out. Until then… pardon my sounding like a parent here, but stay in your room."

Without another word, Bernard turned on his heel, and took off out the door.

Tabs let out an exhasperated sigh, and took a sip of her drink. Much to her displeasure, it was not cappuccino at all, but rather, hot chocolate. Then again, she realized, she should have expected that. She pushed the mug away from herself, and contemplated banging her head off the table.

This was fantastic, just fantastic. She was in a place she had dreamed of being for years, and rather than falling madly in love with Bernard, or having a blast riding the reindeer, she was instead, ordered to room arrest under suspicions of lying about her identity. What a fantastic start to the holidays.

She looked up as Judy walked through the doors, smiling pleasantly as she always did in the movie.

"Tabs?" she asked, although she obviously already knew who the girl was.

Tabs nodded. "Judy?"

Judy nodded back and smiled. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room." Her smile faded slightly as she noticed the steaming mug of hot chocolate that had been shoved away. "Is something wrong with the hot chocolate?" she asked, sounding worried.

Tabs had a feeling that the machine was partially Judy's creation, or at least, the machine which dispensed Judy's famous hot chocolate recipe.

"No no, nothing's wrong with it," Tabs replied quickly. "It's just that, well… I don't like chocolate."

Judy stared at her and blinked. "Really?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"Hmm, well… that's different." She shrugged, then motioned for Tabs to follow her. They made their way back out into the hallway, and over to the train track. Judy climbed aboard, and Tabs followed, feeling a little out of place on the small train.

"I apologize if Bernard was short with you at all," Judy said as the train wove in and out of the workshop. "Christmas Eve is always stressful for him, especially when its time to see Santa off."

"I understand," Tabs said, not adding that she just figured Bernard must have a jerky streak.

"He's really usually very nice and understanding." The small elf smiled warmly at Tabs.

When the train arrived at the sleeping quarters, they got off the train, and Judy led her past the first few doors, one of which, Tabs recognized as belonging to Santa.

They continued past a few more doors, most of which had names on them. Bernard, Curtis, Quinton, Judy, Dr. Hismus… the list of names that Tabs recognized from the movie went on, until they reached the end of the hall, where the last door was labeled 'Guest'.

Tabs was a little surprised to see they all lived in the same hall as Santa. "So, you all live right here in the workshop with Santa?"

Judy laughed. "Don't be silly. Those rooms are just there for Christmas Eve, and the week leading up to Christmas. Just in case we need to crash for a little while, or don't have time to go home for the night. We all live down in Elfsburg."

She let Tabs into the room, which was much plainer than Tabs had expected. She had half hoped it would be as highly decorated as Santa's room, but then again, she rationalized, there was no real reason for a guest room to have that much décor.

The bed looked comfortable enough, and there was a pair of bright red, flannel pyjamas waiting for her. On the nightstand beside the bed, was a big, red button, and beside it, a pad of paper and a pencil.

"If you need anything, just hit the button. It's a direct line to me. If I'm not available, I'll send another elf to see you."

"So I'm a prisoner of the North Pole?" Tabs grimaced.

Judy laughed musically and shook her head. "Not at all! Despite what Bernard has ordered, I will do my best to make you as comfortable as possible. Remember, he's just being a jerk because it's Christmas Eve. I promise tomorrow will be better. You might want to get some sleep though, Bernard will probably call you first thing in the morning."

"Thanks, Judy," Tabs smiled. "You're a very sweet elf."

"Well, I have had nearly 1800 years to work on my people skills," she laughed. "Have a good night."

The elf nodded politely, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Well, I guess I might as well try to get some sleep," Tabs muttered to herself, as she picked up the pj's. Moments later she crawled into the bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, and turned out the light.

Maybe this was still a dream, and when she woke up, she'd still be lying facefirst in the snow, probably frostbitten to death.


	3. Up On the Rooftop, Click, Click Click

A/N: Can you believe there is only four days until Christmas? I totally cannot. It hardly seems like a year ago that I was moving into my home at Teen Ranch, getting in a car accident, and then moving back out there after I was better (I do NOT miss not being able to walk for longer than 15 minutes). I never would have guessed that within that year, I would be leaving the ranch to move back home, and sitting here, completely unsure of where my life is heading. It's as scary as it is exciting.

In case I don't get another chapter up before the big day, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! And God Bless! I hope you all have a spectacular time with your families and loved ones!

Also, I want to apologize for the spelling errors and minor grammatical errors of the last chapter. I was so excited to finish and get it posted, that I totally forgot to edit it before uploading. I promise to keep a closer eye on that from now on.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Santa Clause 1, 2 or 3. Nor do I own Elfsburg, or anything to do with it. I own myself… and the plot, as far as what's not originally in the movies goes. Sue me if you want, but you won't get anything out of me.

Chapter Three: Up On the Rooftop, Click, Click Click; Face first in the Snow is Old Saint Nick!

Tabs was woken in the middle of the night by someone pounding loudly on her door.

"Go away mom!!" she yelled, rolling over and burying her face in her pillow.

The banging continued and she groaned, and sat up, temporarily confused as to where she was. As everything came rushing back, Bernard came rushing through the door, looking furious.

"What in the Name of CHRISTMAS did you do?!" he yelled, looking as if he could lunge over and strangle her at any moment.

Looking at him like he was insane, Tabs replied, "I have NO idea what in the blazes you are talking about. I've been asleep since Judy brought me to this room."

"Santa just 'fell' off the roof, of a man named Scott Calvin, who has a son named Charlie, who just HAPPENED TO PUT ON THE SANTA SUIT!" he roared.

"And you think I had something to do with that," Tabs concluded, glaring at the angry elf.

The tension in the room was building faster than the temperature in an overloaded steam engine furnace. Both occupants of the room were so busy glaring at each other that they had not noticed the small crowd of elves now gathered around the door to see what the big hullabaloo was all about.

"You tell me," Bernard retorted, crossing his arms. "Just a few hours ago, you were the one who predicted all this. And since you don't appear to have any magical powers, that's the only logical explanation."

"Logical? We're in the middle of the BLOODY FREAKING NORTH POLE! You're an ELF for goodness' sake, and you're talking to me about LOGICAL?" She let out a frustrated growl and dropped her head into her hands. "Ugh. None of this is logical Bernard. Hell, where I'm from, the North Pole doesn't even exist! It's a mythical tale for children. You're a MOVIE character. So none of this is logical."

"Here we go again, with the whole movie excuse!" He snapped back. "Why do you keep trying to push it?"

"Because. It's. The. TRUTH! Did you even bother to go check out my driver's license like I told you?"

Bernard flushed, looking ashamed for just a moment. Before he could say anything else, they heard someone clearing their throat, and looked over to see Judy in the doorway, holding out a plastic card to Bernard.

"I thought you might want to see this," she said cheerfully to Bernard. As he looked over the card, Judy smiled at Tabs and winked at her.

Tabs mouthed out 'thank you' to the small elf, and then looked over to Bernard.

Bernard's expression went from one of slight annoyance, to relief, then to a sheepish smile.

"Sorry…" he muttered, walking over and handing the card to Tabs. "It appears you were telling the truth."

It was only then that Tabs noticed there were a whole lot more elves than just Judy and Bernard at the door… and realized that she was in pj's. Suddenly feeling very awkward, she pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"Uhm…can I have a couple minutes of privacy… to uhh… get properly attired?"

Bernard, realizing that he had barged in on Tabs in her sleepwear, flushed slightly. "No need really… you can go back to sleep…"

Tabs snorted. "You think I could fall back to sleep after that wakeup?"

"Well, if you insist, then you can at least make yourself useful. Meet me in the office in ten minutes. Judy will show you how to get there."

Without another word, Bernard hurried out the door, shooing the elves back to their own work as he went.

After he had disappeared out the door, Tabs looked over at Judy. "Are you sure he's got a nice streak somewhere in there?"

Judy just laughed her musical laugh and winked. "I'll be just outside the door whenever you're ready."

The office was not the one she expected Bernard would be meeting her in. She had expected Santa's office, the one she was incredibly familiar with from the movies, but instead, she found Bernard waiting for her in a small room just off from the main stables.

Judy had left her after showing her to the office, and Bernard was pacing around inside the small room, muttering to himself.

"Bernard?" Tabs asked quietly as she entered the room, alerting him to her presence. She didn't want to startle him and receive another mouthful from him.

He stopped his pacing and looked up, then motioned for her to take a seat in one of the two desk chairs present. She sat down, and he sat down, and rolled over beside her.

"So listen," he started. "I have to apologize for my rude behaviour. It's just a very stressful time of year for me, and well… I'm kind of a hot head."

"Heh, you're telling me," she replied, looking away. She hated when people apologized. Things felt so awkward. She changed the subject quickly. "So what do you need my help with?"

"Well, I was hoping that you could tell me a bit about this Scott Calvin guy," Bernard admitted. It was evident he picked up on the purposeful topic change, but he didn't push, which made Tabs feel a little more relaxed.

"I'm not telling you anything. There is no WAY I am risking screwing things up," Tabs replied. "If I tell you about things, then it could change the entire course of events, and what's supposed to happen will be forever ruined."

Bernard looked thoughtful for a moment. "How do you know that what happens in your 'movies' is what's really supposed to happen though? If those are fiction, this is real… so what if what you being here is meant to be what REALLY happens?"

"Well then, my knowledge of the movies wouldn't really do much, would it? For all I know the Scott Calvin in 'my movies' could be the exact opposite of the one here."

Bernard made a 'hmph' sound, and spun around to face the large green navigational screen on the wall.

"Well. It appears he's almost back at the Pole. Wait here," he said, standing.

"I beg your pardon? I am not waiting here by myself."

Bernard raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were afraid of messing things up?"

Tabs shrugged. "Hey, you said I might be wrong, so I'm gonna go with that option."

"Aren't women always supposed to be right?"

"Aren't Christmas Elves always supposed to be cheerful?" Tabs retorted.

Bernard glanced down the hallway, looking a little worried, then back at the blonde-haired girl who was quickly becoming a bit of a thorn in his shoe. "Fine. You can come. But keep quiet and don't do anything stupid."

Tabs snorted again. "Oh, I won't… I'll leave that for you to cover."

As they turned to head down the hall, Tabs thought she saw a tiny smile itching at the corner of Bernard's lips. Her heart pounded a couple times, reminding her that despite Bernard's earlier rudeness, her crush on the elf still remained.

"Uhm, Bernard?" she called after the elf.

"What now?"

"I'll be there in a minute… I uhm, need to go to the washroom."

Bernard rolled his eyes. "Fine, see you there."

After Bernard had disappeared down the hallway, Tabs slipped back into the office for a minute and closed the door. Then she did something she hadn't done in a while. She began jumping up and down in circles squealing like a little girl.

"AHH! I'm IN the Santa Clause! I'm IN the Santa Clause! And Bernard is here and just as cute in person and EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

After about a minute of doing this, she stopped, cleared her throat, smoothed back out her sweater and hair, and walked calmly out of the office and down the hall as if nothing had happened.


	4. What if I Choose Not to Believe It?

_A/N: TWO DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!! Is anyone else super excited? _

_Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 3. I also liked the fan girl shouting scene. Much to my surprise, it's actually turning out to be a bit of a challenge to write myself as an 18 year old again. While I know the way I was, my natural inclination is always to take the more serious side of things, so my lunatic self that I was as an obsessed fan girl tends to elude me. _

_Just a thought; never eat Swiss Chalet for two meals in a row… your stomach will NOT thank you afterwards._

_So, a little bit of funny to brighten your day. My mom and I are about to watch SC1, and the phone rang. So she grabbed the volume control, and I grabbed the DVD control, and as she's answering the phone, the two of us are desperately pushing buttons on the controllers trying to shut off the sound and pause the movie... __**ahem**_

**Chapter Four: What if I Choose Not to Believe It?**

By the time Tabs made it to the sleigh room, the sleigh was already being lowered in through the giant skylight. It had taken her nearly ten minutes to get there, having had to ask at least five different elves for directions.

The nice thing at least, was that she had beaten Bernard to the room, which meant he wouldn't know that she had gotten lost.

The elves, despite knowing that this was a new Santa coming to the Pole for the first time, did not seem to care too much. They continued on their way, smiling cheerfully, and glancing every now and then at the sleigh.

"So you finally made it," Bernard said from behind her, causing Tabs to jump.

"Uhh… yeah, I kinda got lost," she admitted sheepishly. So he had actually arrived there before her.

Bernard smiled and leaned against the wooden frame of the entranceway. "So, are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell me about this Santa?"

Tabs hopped up on the gate beside Bernard and shook her head. "Not a thing."

Then, with a grin that only a nerd could recognize, she turned her gaze to the descending sleigh, ready for a front seat viewing of one of her favourite movies.

"Whoa, dad this is soo cool!" Charlie exclaimed from the sleigh, leaning over the edge and watching the elves.

Scott Calvin was looking around incredibly confused, with a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes.

Tabs fought back a giggle, causing Bernard to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You must have really liked the movie," he said.

"Yup!" she nodded vigorously. "It's my ultimate favourite Christmas movie."

The green and gold sleigh reached the floor, and the elves continued to bustle about.

"Where are all the grownups?" Scott asked, standing up. "Charlie, stay in the sleigh." He hopped down and called to the nearest elf.

"Hey, kid, kid! Who's in charge here?"

The elf, who was wearing a bright green outfit paused and looked at Scott like he was retarded.

"You are. And I'm not a kid. I have pointy shoes older than you," the elf replied indignantly, then turned and began to walk away. "I'm an elf."

Bernard let out a chuckle, and began to walk towards the grouchy man.

"Hey, you guys, or girls!" Scott called to the next elf. "Who's in charge?"

"You are," she retorted, obviously annoyed.

"No, I mean who's the head elf?"

"You are!"

Bernard cleared his throat and stepped forward, Tabs standing behind him, trying not to laugh.

"Who's causing all the trouble here?" he demanded.

Both Scott and the elf immediately accused one another.

"Excuse me, are we on a coffee break here?" Bernard asked the elf, giving her a glare.

"We don't drink coffee."

Tabs found that watching the scene wasn't quite as amusing as the movie. She glanced over at Charlie, who was beginning to climb out of the sleigh. He was definitely an adorable kid.

She walked over to him. "Hey, I'm guessing you're Charlie?"

Charlie nodded with a grin. "My dad's the new Santa, isn't he?" His eyes were wide and sparkling with childish delight, as he took in the sights and sounds around him.

"Yep, that he is. Pretty sweet huh?"

Charlie bobbed his head up and down. "Who are you? Are you one of the elves? Or Mrs. Claus?"

Tabs laughed. "Neither. My name is Tabs, and I'm a regular human, just like you."

"What are you doing at the North Pole then?"

"That's a bit of a long story…" she replied. She reached down and took Charlie's hand. "Come on, let's go catch up with your dad. I still haven't seen the whole place yet, so we can look around together."

"Awesome!" he exclaimed, and before Tabs could start moving, Charlie had began to run after his father, dragging the teen behind him.

"Can I get you a drink?" Bernard was asking Scott, rolling his eyes as they walked on.

"No I don't want a drink!"

"I'm thirty, and hungry too!" Charlie piped in.

"Charlie, I thought I told you to stay in the sleigh!" Scott grumbled.

"Bernard, this is Charlie," Tabs introduced, ignoring Scott's protests. "Scott's son. Cute, isn't he?"

Charlie beamed, and Scott mimicked her mockingly.

"Heya sport," Bernard greeted with a grin.

Tabs heart melted at the sight of the elf's familiar grin and she wanted to smack herself in the forehead. This was no time for being a fan girl!

After the elf gave Bernard the snow globe, Tabs left with Charlie and Larry, despite Bernard's pleading glance for her to stay.

Larry took them down the hall the same way Bernard had, and to the kitchen. "Hot cocoa alright?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yes, please!"

Larry walked over to the cocoa dispenser and chuckled. "And Tabs, what would you like? I heard through the rumour mill you're not a chocolate fan."

"Wow, news sure travels fast around here," she laughed. "Do you have coffee?"

Larry nodded. "You're in luck. Our late Santa made it mandatory to have coffee on stock. Something about it being a lifeline or something like that."

"Haha, I know EXACTLY what he means."

Charlie looked over at Tabs, a look of surprise still on his face. "You really don't like chocolate?" His mouth dropped open.

"Nah… it's too sweet for me."

Charlie looked thoughtful. "Weeeiiirrrd."

"You're telling me," Larry said as he slid the hot chocolate in front of Charlie, and passed Tabs a steaming hot mug of coffee.

"Wow, that was quick." Tabs was impressed. It didn't look like the elf had made her instant coffee. She smelled it. It sure didn't smell like instant coffee either.

Larry flashed her a charming grin. "Actually… Judy had a feeling you'd be needing some coffee, so she put some on about twenty minutes ago."

As she watched Larry turn and dig through the fridge for something other than sweets for the boy, Tabs couldn't help but realize that wrapping her mind around the fact that these elves were hundreds of years older than her was proving to be a little difficult.

He returned a moment later with a plate of Christmas dinner. "Here you go, Charlie."

Charlie dug right in to the steaming hot meal, while Tabs examined it curiously from her seat. Larry had just pulled the plate out of the fridge, there was no way it had stayed that hot.

"Elf magic," Larry explained, reading the look of confusion on the girl's face.

"Nice. So no need for microwaves?"

"Never."

"Hmm. Impressive." She glanced at Charlie, who was shoveling the food down far faster than a child should. "Whoa, slow down there buddy, you're going to make yourself sick."

Charlie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." He took a couple more bites then shoved the plate away. "Thanks, Larry. Can we go see my dad now?"

Larry reached for the plate, but Tabs held out her hand to stop him.

"I'll clean up in here, you go ahead and take Charlie Back," she said with a smile.

Larry smiled back. "Thanks, you're a good kid."

Tabs crunched her nose. Being called a kid by someone who looked at least ten years younger than her was weird. "Thanks… I think?"

Another cheerful laugh escaped from Larry. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He reached out and took Charlie's hand. "C'mon Charlie."

After they had left, Tabs washed the mugs and the plate and fork, then placed them neatly on the counter. She couldn't find any dishtowels to dry them with, so hoped that the kitchen staff wouldn't be furious with the dishes being left to air dry.

The kitchen was beyond anything she could imagine, now that she was actually taking the time to look at it, and take in all that was in it.

All the tables, chairs, counters and cupboards had quite evidently been hand made, with handcrafted etchings to add some life to them.

She sighed and trailed her hand along the woodwork. It reminded her of when her dad used to do woodwork, back before his life became busy. She felt a pang of sadness at the thought of her family, but shoved it to the back of her mind. Thinking about them would only depress her, and she wanted to enjoy this place.

The more she saw of the North Pole (which she admitted still wasn't very much at this point), the more she fell in love with it. In fact, she wouldn't mind living there, if there was a way to see her family every now and again.

With a sigh, she took one more look around the beautiful kitchen and headed back towards the workshop.

By the time she reached the workshop, Bernard and Scott were mid-argument. Tabs walked towards them, amazed at how well the elves were pretending not to be eavesdropping on the argument that could probably be heard on the other side of Elfsburg.

"What if I don't want to do this?" Scott demanded, ignoring the pained expression the statement caused on his son's face.

Bernard froze and looked at Scott with an incredibly serious and annoyed expression. "Don't even kid about a thing like that."

"Why not?" Scott retorted. "What if I don't buy into this whole Santa 'Clause' thing? What if I choose NOT to believe it?"

A hush fell over the room. That was too horrible a statement for the elves to pretend like they weren't paying attention anymore.

Tabs pulled Charlie to her protectively as the boy looked like he might start to cry.

"Then there would be millions of disappointed children around the world." Bernard shook his head, saddened by the lack of faith Scott Calvin presented. "You see, children hold the spirit of Christmas within their hearts. You wouldn't want to be responsible for killing the spirit of Christmas, now, would you, Santa?"

Scott looked at the elf dumbfounded. He hadn't actually thought that far into it.

Bernard sighed. "Judy will take you to your room. Get out of the suit, it needs to be cleaned."

"And taken in," Scott interjected.

If this statement amused Bernard, he certainly didn't show it. "We have a lot of work to do and only a year in which to do it."

Tabs bent down and hugged Charlie. "Night kiddo, it was good to meet you."

"You too!" without another word, the boy bounded off after Judy.

The elves had all returned to work at this point, acting as if Scott's little outburst had never happened. Tabs walked over to Bernard, and reached up, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

One thing the movies didn't show, was just how much the events of the evening took out of Bernard.

"You okay?" Tabs asked, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

Bernard snorted. "I'll live." He shrugged off her shoulder, and started to walk away.

Tabs was stung by his response, and stared after him a moment. She was tempted to snap something back at him, and stalk away angrily, but the sight of his slumped shoulders and slower walk made her change plans.

She jogged after him, and slid her arm through his.

"Come on, we're going to get you to relax."

Bernard looked down at the girl who was grinning up at him, wondering how after all that she could be so cheerful. He still wasn't sure what to think of this strange human who had entered his world only a few hours earlier.

"Good luck on that," he told her, and though she missed it this time, a smile was definitely itching at the corner of his mouth.


	5. Oh, What a Good Cup of Coffee Can Do

A/N: Wow! Thank you for all the positive reviews! When I first started rewriting this, I figured it definitely would not achieve the same positive response as the original, but so far so good!

Apologies for the major delay in updating; life in the last two years has been CRAZY! Between three different job switches, getting engaged, attending/being part of five weddings, getting laid off, job hunting, mission's trips and more, I've been so far behind on EVERYTHING. But finally, an update!

My goal is to update this from now on at least every other week. Thanks for everyone's support so far!

**Chapter Five – Oh, What a Good Cup of Coffee Can Do**

Tabs led Bernard down the hallway, towards the E.L.F.S. room. The earlier hustle and bustle of everything was calming down, and the girl assumed everyone was taking the opportunity to rest after the craziness.

"You can fly those jet pack thingers right?" she asked, walking straight to the doors.

Bernard pulled the girl to a stop and frowned. "Well yeah, but we only use them for emergency situations. E.L.F.S. equipment is very difficult to keep up, and not supposed to be used on a whim."

Tabs snorted. "Well, this is a whim, but it's also an emergency… technically… so, we're gonna go in there, and you're going to hook up a jet pack, and the two of us are getting out of here." She pulled away from Bernard's grip, and pulled open the big doors that led into the room.

She discovered that another thing the movies did was make the doors look like they were far lighter than they actually were. It took throwing her whole body-weight into it to pull open the doors, completely disrupting the dramatic entrance she had hoped for into the room.

Unlike the rest of Santa's workshop, the E.L.F.S. room actually looked very normal. Rather than being filled with extravagant colours and decorations, it instead was set up much like any military room would be. This fact alone gave Tabs reason to start meditating on if there was more to Christmas Elves than what they made kids believe in the movies. Still… she could try to figure that out later. For now, she had a depressed elf and a mission to cheer him up to worry about.

They walked into the room, and Bernard went straight to the Jet Pack cabinet, not wanting to attempt arguing with the short blonde. He wouldn't admit it, but he was really interested in seeing what she had in mind.

"So where are we going?" he asked as he began to check all the dials and wires to make sure everything was set and ready to go.

"It's a surprise." She was slowly turning in circles eyeing the lockers with a contemplative look on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out which locker would have a jacket big enough for me in it." She began bouncing her finger along the lockers as she walked and muttering something about catching a tiger by it's toe.

"You could have just asked me you know. I do have multiple jackets." Bernard pointed out.

"But where the fun in that?" she asked as she pulled a hairpin out of her hair, smiled innocently, then picked the lock.

Bernard looked at her, raising an eyebrow at the mischievous grin that was spread across her face as she pulled out a coat and tried it on. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Tabs shrugged. "Movies?"

Bernard snorted. "Somehow, I don't feel inclined to believe it."

The coat, much to Tabs' pleasure, fit her just right. Apparently, her random picking had done her well. She walked over to Bernard, and reached over to take the jetpack from him.

Bernard laughed and swung it over his own shoulder. "You think I'd trust YOU with this?"

Tabs pouted but didn't respond. Secretly, she was thrilled, as it meant that Bernard would have to hold onto her, whether it be her hand, or around her waist. It was the kind of thing that every fangirl would want to happen, though Tabs realized it would be very dumb to make Bernard aware of that fact.

"So where are we going?" Bernard inquired as he fastened the buckles and pressed his watch to open the smaller departure hatch directly within the locker room.

"New York, New York," Tabs grinned. "Just touch down somewhere near Central Park, and we'll walk from there."

"You want to land in Central Park at NIGHT?" Bernard looked at the human as if she was nuts.

"I didn't say at, I said near," she reiterated, rolling her eyes.

"Near is kind of… general. Can you be more specific?"

Tabs stopped and contemplated for a moment. "Hmm, that is true… well, how about the entrance near Trump Tower?"

"And I'm supposed to know where that is?"

"Considering you take care of all of Santa's stuff, I'd think you would."

Bernard shrugged. "Perhaps. Except that you're forgetting one important detail."

"Which is what exactly?"

"Donald Trump stopped getting presents from Santa over fifty years ago. I don't keep track of all his residences, or anything to do with him nowadays."

"Well… do you at least know where that big statue is at Central Park?"

"That I do know," Bernard confirmed.

"Okay, there works."

And with that, they were off. Tabs had however, forgotten to divulge one important detail about flying on the jet packs: she was PETRIFIED of heights.

As they climbed higher into the sky, her facial expression went from one of bold determination, quickly to being extremely terrified, on the verge of tears, and whiter than a sheet.

Bernard took no notice until Tabs, unable to contain her fear any longer, pulled Bernard towards her and latched herself to him.

"Uhh… I'm really flattered and all," Bernard began, "but we did just meet."

Tabs responded by bursting out in tears.

"Whoa… I didn't mean it in a bad way… I mean, you're cute and all, and seem to be pretty cool, but uhm…" he rambled, feeling his cheeks grow hot. He knew he must be blushing from the neck up, but couldn't stop it. He was confused and slightly embarrassed.

"It's-not-you, you idiot," Tabs choked out. "I'm petrified of heeeiiiggghhhhts."

For the first time that evening, Bernard burst out laughing. "You're afraid of heights?"

Tabs stopped her crying to glare up at him. "Not afraid. Petrified. And it's not funny."

Still laughing, Bernard shook his head slowly. "So, being terrified of heights, you decided to bully me into taking a jet pack, to fly over the world?" He grabbed her hands that were clenched into his chest and slowly eased them off. "You're going to be okay," he said softly. "Nothing will happen to you so long as I'm holding your hand."

Tabs sniffed and let him move her to the side, but kept a white knuckled grip around his left hand.

Bernard had to admit to himself that it felt kind of nice to have that sort of close contact, if even for a minute. It had been well over two hundred years since he had even thought of the possibility of a relationship. Not that he was thinking of one now, he quickly told himself, pushing the thought aside.

"So tell me a little about yourself," he asked, trying to keep her mind off the whole heights thing.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Well, I'm from a small town in Southern Ontario, called Orange Grove. I've lived there all my life…"

The rest of the journey took another fifteen minutes, and Bernard listened intently as the blonde told her life story. He had to admit, he was impressed with the strength the girl had, after hearing some of the things she and her family had been through. Death, it seemed, hounded the family's doorstep. Bernard couldn't help but wonder, after hearing all that, whether or not the girl's bubbly personality and optimistic attitude was a mask, or if she had genuinely walked away from everything with such a positive outlook.

They landed just outside Central Park, which was still lit up and glowing with lights.

"The City that Never Sleeps," Tabs said breathlessly, looking around in wonder. "It's so beautiful."

"Have you ever been here before?" Bernard asked, shrugging off the jetpack and pressing a small button on its side that caused it to shrink to a pocket-sized storage device.

"Never. I've always wanted to though. There's something about the place that has always drawn me to it."

Bernard blinked. "So wait. You brought me somewhere you've never been? I thought you had a plan!"

She looked up at him and grinned again. "I do! That plan is called ADVENTURING!"

Bernard shook his head slowly, but couldn't help from smiling slightly. "You do realize it's after midnight right? Most places will be closed."

Tabs grabbed his hand and started walking forward, dragging him along. "Like I said, this is the city that never sleeps; there is bound to be SOMETHING open!"

They walked around the city at the edge of the park for a while, in silence for the most part. Bernard had to admit, as little time as he spent in the populated parts of this world, there was a strange beauty and a sense of serenity that hung over their cities.

"Aha! There we are!" Tabs exclaimed, shaking Bernard from his thoughts.

He followed her gaze across the street to a small coffee shop with an open sign flashing in the window. It looked like a quaint little place, and Bernard allowed Tabs to drag him across the street.

"What is it with you humans and coffee?" he asked.

Tabs shrugged. "It's wonderful, it's warm, and it's energizing. Plus, it tastes amazing."

"Yeah, but hot chocolate is the same," Bernard pointed out.

"Maybe for elves, but hot chocolate doesn't really give me energy. That's what coffee is for."

Bernard finally pulled his hand out of the blonde's to hold open the door for her. He gave her a kind of lopsided grin as they entered the shop.

"Well, that explains all your energy," Bernard chuckled.

"Nah, I haven't had a coffee in a few days, this is just me normally."

Bernard paused for a moment, wondering if he would be able to handle the girl on caffeine high if this was her normally.

"Merry Christmas," the man behind the counter said glumly as the two approached. His expression and unenthusiastic response made it clear the man was not happy to be working.

Tabs suddenly felt a little bad for coming there on Christmas night.

"What can I get you?" The barista asked, looking between the two patrons.

"I'll have a large hot chocolate," Bernard ordered, "With extra whip-cream please."

He heard a small snort escape from Tabs and looked over.

"What?"

"You are worried about me drinking coffee, and you're about to have a large hot chocolate in the middle of the night?"

Bernard just shrugged in response.

Shaking her head, Tabs looked at the Barista who had begun tapping his feet impatiently. "Caramel Dulce Latte, medium please, soya milk, with whipped cream," she rattled off.

"Order that much?" Bernard teased.

"All the time."

Tabs paid for their drinks and left the man a ten-dollar tip, hoping it would cheer him up a bit. They picked a table in the back corner of the café and sat down. They sat quietly for a few minutes, each enjoying their drinks. Tabs was doing all she could to stop herself from staring fangirlishly at the elf in front of her, which was a huge feat considering she had been smitten by this elf for years.

"So, what was the point of this?" Bernard asked, looking around the quiet coffee shop. He wasn't really sure where he had expected Tabs to take him, but he had expected something louder, like a nightclub, or somewhere full of people. He hadn't pictured her as the quiet, coffee shop type.

"The point, my dear Bernard, was to get you out of the North Pole and somewhere a little more relaxing," she explained, taking off the jacket and pulling up one of her knees so that she was hugging her leg as she settled into the chair. "Coffee shops are my favourite places to go and unwind… although usually, with a book or a notebook."

"I'm sorry, but I really can't picture you being the type hidden away in a coffee shop with your nose in a book," Bernard admitted, hoping he wouldn't offend her.

Tabs shrugged. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a huge bookworm and a writer. I prefer the solitude of being alone in a coffee shop to being around a large group of people."

This also surprised Bernard. From the little amount that he had seen and spent with Tabs, she struck him as the kind of person that was a social butterfly and preferred lots of friends to being alone. He would never, in a million years have pegged her as someone, well, someone more like him, more of an introvert.

"I'm actually quite socially awkward," she admitted shyly, taking a sip from her latte. "That's part of why I love reading and writing so much – I don't have to worry about the impression I make on the characters."

Bernard nodded. "Well, this might sound strange as well, but despite being Head Elf, I'm kind of socially awkward as well."

"I kind of guessed that one already."

"It's hard, being Head Elf. I think I had more social skills before I got the position. Don't get me wrong, I have friends – Judy has been my friend for over 300 years, and Quentin and I share a good laugh now and again. It's just hard, to be their boss, and their friend."

Tabs listened intently, sipping away at her coffee but not saying a word. Bernard was slightly surprised at how easy it was to talk to her, and at how easily he began to unload all his burdens. He hadn't wanted to pour his problems out, but it was like verbal diarrhea – once he started, it just wouldn't stop.

"And then there's this whole Santa thing. I mean, you would think someone would be thrilled to be Santa Claus. Sure, there's that whole adjustment period for adults to believe, but never has a Santa been THIS un-accepting!" He stopped and flushed slightly. "Sorry… I've been whining for over an hour now."

Smiling, Tabs shook her head. "Don't apologize – this was the point of getting you away, to let it all out."

Bernard smiled sheepishly at her. "I don't think I've ranted like that in… well, ever."

"You know… this may be why you have such rage issues, you bottling it all up and everything."

"What are you a counselor now?"

Tabs shrugged. "I can be whatever you want me to be." Realizing exactly how that sounded, she stammered. "Uhm, uhh. Well, you know what I mean."

Bernard laughed. "Just, can you tell me one thing? This Scott Calvin… do things get any better with him?"

"If they happen like in my movies, yes."

He breathed a soft sigh of relief, then reached across the table and squeezed Tabs' hand slightly. "Thank you for this."

"You're welcome." Tabs glanced at the clock. "Wow… it's after three already. Should we get back?"

Bernard smiled. "If you are still awake enough, how about a little walk through the park? I think I have enough magic to shield us for about an hour."

Tabs clasped her hands together excitedly. "Really? Oh my gosh that would be amazing!"

He nodded and stood to his feet, then held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Tabs leapt to her feet and slipped her arm through his. They bade the barista goodnight and made their way back out into the cold.

Bernard made an adjustment to his watch and flashed Tabs a lopsided grin. Gold flecks and sparkles began to swirl around the two of them, creating a warm breeze. After a few minutes the flecks and sparkles faded, and they walked into the park, chatting away.


	6. Is that a Polar Bear directing traffic?

A/N: Well, it seems life got insane RIGHT AFTER I started having time to write again. Seriously, what happened to the days when I had hours upon hours to write? Ugh! Anyways! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I thought it would be good to at least get one more chapter before the big day, so here you are. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas day!

**Chapter Six – Is that a Polar Bear directing traffic?**

The temperature in the park seemed rather warm for the middle of the night in December. Tabs figured it had something to do with the magic that Bernard was using. Or maybe, winter was just warmer in New York then it was where she was from. The park was beautiful, even at night. It all felt so surreal, but then again, there was still a chance this could all turn out to be just a dream.

"So, I have to ask, how do you think the Council of Legendary Figures is going to react?" Tabs shoved her hands in her pockets and breathed in the crisp, air. She had never quite figured out what it was, but something about cities made her feel so much more alive.

Bernard shrugged. "I have no idea, to be honest. Obviously, the SOS…" he paused and looked over at her. "Do you know what the SOS is?"

"Yeah, the Secret of Santa."

"Right. There are probably going to be some fears about that. And then there's the whole Santa thing. It might make for a very tense meeting."

"Who meets with them when Santa… can't?" She didn't feel the need to point out that even if they asked the new 'Santa' he wouldn't believe them.

Bernard furrowed his brow slightly, looking stressed again. "The task falls to me, as head elf. I haven't had to meet with them in over two hundred years. The last time I did, it didn't go over so well."

Tabs was surprised. Bernard was so organized and on task – she couldn't imagine him failing at an update meeting. "What happened?"

"Cupid and I got into it a few times," he admitted sheepishly.

Tabs laughed. "Honestly, that doesn't surprise me."

Bernard raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well, he kind of seemed like a bit of a dick in the second movie."

"Wait… there's more than one?"

Tabs nodded. "There's two. The third is rumoured to be coming out in two years."

"Hmm." Bernard wanted to ask her more about the movies, but her fear of ruining the time space continuum seemed pretty intense, so he tried to ignore his curiousity. "Yeah, Cupid is a bit of a … jerk. He's pretty full of himself and thinks he's this big hot shot just because he can make people fall in love."

"But people fall in love without his help, right?"

"Exactly."

Tabs shook her head. "I don't think I'd get along with him very well."

Bernard laughed. "Very few do." He appeared thoughtful for a moment. "You know… maybe you should come with me to the meeting tomorrow. It might ease their fears on the whole SOS thing if they meet you… and might make me look a little less crazy."

"Wait, are you SERIOUS?" Tabs looked at him, eyes wide and a huge grin on her face. "OHMYGOSH that would be AMMMAAAZZZINNNG!"

Bernard smiled. "How old did you say you were again?" he asked with a smirk. He had never seen anyone get that excited at meeting the Council. Then again, most people he knew were from the worlds where magic existed, and meeting the Council typically meant they had screwed up.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "There is nothing wrong with acting childish sometimes. It's good for your health."

"That's the first time I've heard that."

As they approached a line of benches, surrounding a small ice rink, Tabs noticed a young girl asleep and shivering. She didn't look much older than herself.

"Can they see us or hear us?" Tabs asked, unsure of how the magical barrier worked.

Bernard shook his head, as he looked over to where Tabs was already walking. "What are you doing?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she fumbled around in her pockets and pulled out a couple Canadian twenty-dollar bills and tucked them into the girl's pocket cautiously. When the girl didn't react, Tabs unzipped her jacket and laid it over the other girl.

Bernard was moved by her display of compassion. Most humans he had observed seemed more likely to pretend the homeless didn't exist.

Sighing, Tabs walked back over to him, and hugged herself to keep warm. "I wish there was more I could do," she said sadly.

"I think you just did more than most," he replied as he took off his own jacket, then offered it to her. "Here, I'm used to the cold. It's natural for me."

She smiled slightly and accepted it. "I hate seeing people homeless. My family once took a trip to Toronto at Christmas and I saw so many kids my own age begging on the streets. After the first one, I couldn't even look at them, because I was trying so hard not to cry. I hate to even think of what would drive a kid to choose the streets over living at home, whether it's in their heads or reality. Everyone should have a place to feel loved and call home."

Bernard didn't know what to say. Of course Christmas elves knew the harsh realities of the human world, but up in the North Pole, it was often easy to forget just how real and harsh they really were. There was no such thing as a homeless Christmas elf, or of someone feeling unloved or unwanted. Sure, there were dark times, and things were not as happy-go-lucky as the humans seemed to think, but being loved was never a question there. If things did not work out with one's family, there were plenty of relatives and friends ready to open their doors.

"Ugh… sorry, I just totally killed the Christmassy-mood," Tabs apologized, shaking Bernard from his thoughts.

"What? No, don't apologize. You didn't kill the mood. An act of kindness is always part of the Christmas spirit."

They walked over to the skating rink, and Tabs sighed. "Do you ever watch movies up in Elfsburg?"

"Sometimes."

"One of my favourite Christmas movies was filmed partially at this rink. Well, in my world." She looked up at the sky and smiled. "Cassiopeia."

Bernard followed her gaze, up to the constellation.

"Do you know the story of Cassiopeia?"

Bernard shook his head. "I just know the constellations. We use them to guide Santa. We've been using star maps since the first Santa Claus."

Pushing herself up on the small wooden wall, Tabs jumped up and slowly lowered herself onto the rink. Bernard laughed and did the same.

"You realize without skates, we're going to end up falling a lot right?"

Tabs just smiled, and pushed off the wall, gliding somewhat gracefully backwards.

"So the story goes like this. A long time ago in Ethiopia, Cassiopeia was queen, and she thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Everybody in the kingdom was offended by her vanity. I'm not sure what exactly she did, but one day, she royally screwed up and pissed off the gods. Poseidon punished her by placing her in the heavens, upside down on her throne for eternity, with her skirt hanging over her shoulders and her blood rushing to her head. Now, she's just a constellation in the sky."

She glided around the rink a bit before she slipped and sprawled rather ungracefully across the ice, laughing as she hit the ground with a loud thunk.

Bernard slid after her, waving his arms around to try and keep his balance. He was a little wobbly, but managed to make it over to her without falling. "Is that what the movie is about?" he asked as he helped her to her feet. "Because that doesn't sound very Christmassy or happy."

She chuckled. "No, but it's a part from the movie. The lead man tells the lead girl about Cassiopeia the night they meet, while they are at this rink." She sighed again, and began to skate around on her shoes. "It's a movie about love and destiny. Two random strangers have a chance encounter while shopping for a gift for their significant others, and after running back into each other again by accident, they spend the evening together. They fall for each other, but she wants to leave their relationship to destiny. So they do a test to see if destiny means for them to be together, and miss running into each other by mere seconds. The rest of the movie, they move on with their lives, but their hearts still belong to one another, and so they search to find each other."

"You're such a girl," Bernard laughed. "Do you realize your eyes light up and you get this silly little glow about you when you talk about this movie?"

Tabs shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. I just love the idea of two strangers knowing in an instant that they are meant to be together."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe how much he had managed to learn about this girl in one night. She was unlike anyone he knew. She was so alive and animated, yet grounded at the same time. Silly and childlike, but yet calm and mature. It was an odd combination, but it worked with her.

There was a time when Bernard had clung to stories like the movie Tabs had described. When he was in his teen years, which for Christmas elves, lasted about five-hundred years, he had been a hopeless romantic. Though he had met many a beautiful elf in his lifetime, none had ever really drawn him in. As he got older, he lost that romantic flair. His life became about work, about Santa and keeping the North Pole in order. For a moment, as Tabs had gushed about this movie, he had felt that hopeless romantic inside of him coming to life again. But it was only a moment.

It was as he snapped out of that moment that he realized how much time they had spent in the park. Their hour was nearing an end, and if he didn't get them back before that hour, they would be stuck in New York.

He skated back over to the wall. "We've got to go," he said, as he climbed back over the wall.

Tabs followed him, noticing the change in his demeanour. For a moment, he had become the light-hearted Bernard she recognized from the movies. But now, the crease in his forhead was reappearing, and the worried expression was replacing the smile.

"Everything okay?"

Bernard looked over at her, startled. "I'm fine, why?"

"You just are starting to look stressed again."

"I'm almost out of magic. And I still have to figure out what to do with Scott Calvin… and you."

When Tabs had hoisted herself back over the wall, she walked over and gave Bernard a hug. "Thank you, for letting me take you for coffee… and for taking me through Central Park."

Bernard was a little taken aback at first, but then hugged the girl back. "Thank you, Tabs." He blushed slightly. "I can't remember the last time I've actually done something… fun."

They pulled apart, and Tabs looked slightly awkward. Hugging him had been a natural reaction, but she hadn't expected him to hug back. She knew it was just a hug, but suddenly she just felt awkward about it. "You're welcome," she said, trying to hide her discomfort.

It was obvious to Bernard that something had suddenly started bothering the girl, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know what. He had felt her flinch slightly when he hugged back, but wasn't exactly sure what that meant. Now, her cheeks were flushed, and she wouldn't meet his gaze. It seemed human girls were just as confusing as elves.

Trying not to put much thought into her reaction, he pulled out the miniaturized jet-pack and pressed the button to bring it back to a normal size again.

When he had secured the jet-pack on his back, he reached out and took Tabs' hand. "You gonna be okay this time?"

Again, the flinch.

Tabs' was doing everything she could not to go all girly on Bernard. She knew his hug and grabbing her hand meant nothing, but it had been a while since a guy had paid any attention to her, and her crush on Bernard was causing the girly side of her to read into non-existant signs.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous, about the flying."

He knew it was a lie, but didn't push the question. Her sudden change in behaviour was strange, but he had more important things to worry about.

"I'll be okay this time, I think," she said, taking a deep breath as she answered his question.

He fired up the jet pack, and they raised slowly into the air, then took off into the night.

As they flew through the skies, Bernard started to tell Tabs about life as a Christmas elf, and about the North Pole. He didn't know how much the movies she kept referring to explained about their lives, so he just kept talking. If he was telling her information she already knew, she wasn't letting on, as she listened intently.

"We're not actually called Christmas elves," Bernard said. "I mean, we are, but that's not what we really are. We got the nickname just over 1500 years ago, when we first came to help Saint Nicholas, the original Santa Claus. It was started as a joke by some of the other elves. It just made sense for us. Unlike our brethren, who are tall, slender and majestic, we have always been shorter and more childlike. It takes a very long time for us to look like adults. We were dubbed 'Christmas elves' because it seemed to be the only thing we could do well."

Tabs was enthralled by his stories. She had always wondered about the elves beyond the movies. Where they came from, whether they were strictly Christmas elves or not.

"Most elves leave the North Pole once they reach adult-hood. By then, they've saved enough that they choose to leave and start families of their own. Elves at the North Pole are usually between five hundred to a thousand years old. They leave after that."

Tabs looked over at him. "So how old are you then?"

Bernard flushed slightly, suddenly feeling very old. "1457."

"Well, you don't look a day over twenty to me," Tabs smiled.

Her earlier awkwardness seemed to fade the more they talked. Or rather, the more Bernard talked and Tabs listened.

She wasn't sure if pushing why he had stayed was a good move at this time, or if that should wait.

"Thanks, though, twenty for an elf looks like a baby for a human."

"Way to make me feel even younger then," she teased. "Until today, I was starting to feel like I was getting old!"

As they began to descend onto the North Pole, Tabs took in everything. It was so majestic and beautiful from the air. As she looked around, she noticed a polar bear directing traffic.

"Oh my gosh! It's actually true!" she exclaimed.

"What is?"

"Polar bears directing traffic!" She giggled.

Bernard smiled. "It's amazing isn't it?"

"Beyond words."

By the time they landed and put away the jet-pack, Tabs had begun to yawn.

"Good timing, I am definitely ready for bed," she said as she launched into another yawn.

"Goodnight, Bernard," she said softly as she turned to go down the hall to the 'guest' room.

Bernard paused, wondering if he should offer her a better place to stay. He wasn't sure how he felt about asking a girl he had just met to stay in his apartment, but he knew for a fact the couch in his living room was more comfortable than the guest room. He bit his lip slightly as he decided, then called out to her.

"You know, my couch is way more comfortable than that bed," he offered.

Tabs turned around, surprised. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, we barely know each other."

"It's not like I'm asking you to sleep in my bed with me," he pointed out. "Trust me. You'll get a better sleep. And you need your rest if you're going to be facing the council with me tomorrow."

Tabs squinched her nose as she thought. Although her parents would seriously disprove, the thought of a more comfortable sleep was far too tantalizing.

"Okay… just let me get my things."

Bernard's apartment was smaller than Tabs had expected, but cozy and warm. She had expected it to be decorated like Christmas, but instead, it was a perfect blend of deep blues, blacks and rich greens. The kitchen opened up into a small living room with a large-sized two-cushioned couch and a coffee table in front of it. A hallway off the living room led to the bedroom and the bathroom.

They didn't talk much before Tabs curled up on the couch and passed out, and Bernard went off to bed, stressing about what would happen at the council meeting the next day.


End file.
